8/23    I've had 4 dentists in 2 years because of having to move and
        not liking 2 of the dentists I had. The first dentist (Chinese)
        was great because I had him since I was a kid. He did all of my
        cavity fillings and cleanings and said I had pretty good teeth.
        Then when I moved to the South Bay I switched to another
        dentist (Iranian) who said I had HORRIBLE gums and teeth and
        needed to do deep cleaning, add Arestin (antibiotic) to prevent
        bone loss and to slow down my periodontal disease. He also
        highly recommended that I redo my fillings because it is
        getting old and he thinks it is dangerous if it falls out.
        I decided to switch to another doctor (Iranian) and she said
        that my teeth was not so good and highly recommended deep cleaning.
        She also pushed hard for "good deals" on electric tooth brush
        and teeth whitening guards/sol'ns. That ticked me off so I
        switched to another doctor (American born Iranian) and he said
        that my teeth was very healthy (gums didn't bleed when he did
        cleaning, etc). He didn't even push for services like deep
        cleaning and overpriced teeth whiteners. So actually, I'm
        confused. Do I have really have good/bad teeth? Or is the
        dental industry so fucked up that they  have to push for
        services you don't really need? What is your experience like?
        \_ I get the feeling that dental insurance fraud is getting to
           be more and more common.  If your teeth were really as bad
           as the two said, you would at least have an inkling about it.
           You'd be in horrendous pain if you had bone loss.  If it feels
           like they're selling you a bill of goods, run.  There are plenty
           of dentists out there who are caring doctors who respect their
           industry.  Also, keep an eye out for odd procedures on invoices
           and claims (I've seen root canals which I thankfully didn't go
           through charged to my insurance). [zyin, you overwrote this.]
        \_ you only need a root planing after a couple years of
           neglect.  i would be very suspicious of a dentist
            who pushes teeth whiteners
        \_ Good dentists have more patients and tend to have their appointments
           booked for at least 2 weeks.  My dentist have his booked for a
           month.  So fare he's very good.  Unfortunately he's in SF.
           \_ Where in SF?  I am looking for an SF dentist.  What makes
              you say he is good?
              \_ Me too. Tell us his name please.
                        \_ search for Michael Hing DDS in Yahoo!Yellow Pages.
                           Unlike other dentists I had before, he's very
                           thorough and takes his time get the job done.
              \_ Awesome SF dentist: Cynthia Brattesani.
                 http://www.drcynthiab.com
                 \_ Is she your dentist?
                    \_ Yes. She's the best.
           \- um, ok. And good dentists like to play golf when the weather
              is good.
           \_ Mine is usually booked for six months if I want a weekend appt.
              Otherwise it's 2-3 months for weekdays.  He's in Oakland
              Chinatown.  But I wonder if there are dentists who just pretent
              that they are fully booked so as to make themselves look good.
              -- yuen
        \_ FWIW, I went to a dentist who said that I had a cavity. My
           hygienist said the same thing. I went to another dentist and
           she said I do not have a cavity on that tooth. WTF?! I don't
           trust any dentist. One of the dentists is obviously lying, but
           is it the latter (hoping the problem will get worse and require
           more expensive work later) or the former (trying to fill a
           tooth that is fine)? Bastards.
           \_ Why do you hate unrestrained capitalism??
           \_ My dentist shows me the xrays before such a thing. Only had
              that once though. Is teeth whitening that bad? I was thinking
              of asking about it. My teeth are probably normal colored. But
              I wonder about those bright white teeth of people on TV.
              \_ The x-rays don't show much. One dentist said it is just
                 natural pitting. The other said it is a cavity.
              \_ My dentist rocks.  No, you can't have his name.  When I
                 asked about whitening he said he'd do it if I insisted but
                 the stuff from the store that takes a few days will do a
                 better job than he can do in an hour in the office and
                 there's nothing wrong with the store stuff.  He's booked
                 solid forever.  I don't know what I'll do when he retires.
                 Maybe his kids will take over as he took over from his dad.
                 If I leave the Bay Area, I'm dentally doomed!

8/22    The sound of the other shoe dropping: Bush denounces Swift Boat ad.
        http://csua.org/u/8q1 (yahoo! news)
        \_ damn, does this mean no more Swift Boat trolls?  -tom
           \_ One can only hope, but somehow I doubt it.
              \_ Nope. The questioning of the medals was the appetizer. The
                 denunciation of the Vietnam War is the main course.
        \_ How is this the other shoe dropping?  This is the same thing
           McClellan said when the first SB ad came out, and the same thing the
           Bush campaign rep said yesterday on Russert:  all the 527's suck,
           get rid of them.  Kerry will whine because Bush didn't condemn the
           SB ads specifically.
           \_ The SB ads were malicious and wholly misleading.  They make the
              fallacious flip-flop accusations look downright wholesome. It's
              a sign of weak moral character for any candidate who benefits
              from such ridiculous deceits not to specifically condemn them;
              as much as I despise him, Bush finally did the right thing. That
              it took him as long as it did is a quibble point.
              \_ What a crapload.  Wholly misleading my ass.  Bush won't gain
                 anything from this because he didn't specifically condemn this
                 ad.  And then the SB continue to decry Kerry, the Kerry-DNC-
                 Michael-Moore-wannabees will keep telling Bush to TAKE THAT AD
                 OFF THE AIR.  This from the same people afraid that Bush is
                 infringing their first amendment rights.
        \_ does anyone else think this whole episode make you feel like our
           choice for 2004 boils down to Kang vs. Kodos? Arguing over stuff
           that happened >30 years ago is a nice way to avoid talking about
           actual issues that matter. -probably_going_to_write_in_Nader
           \_ Wait for the debates.
           \_ Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos!
           \_ And the GOP propaganda machine wins another one!  The candidates
              are just the same!  Vote for Nader and thereby favor the
              incumbent!  Ignorance is Strength!
              \_ Kerry started it by trying to run on his Vietnam record. He
                 can end it too by choosing to ignore the SB ads. He's not.
                 I'll probably vote for Nader.
                 \_ Kerry did what now?  The man's message has been a very
                    consistent one: We can do better than we are doing right
                    now.  His Vietnam record is just a part of his resume.

8/23    Florida Republicans caught breaking campaign finance laws:
        http://csua.org/u/8q3 ( some blog )

8/23    Dear motd nikon users: where do you take your (film) SLR for service
        (cleaning)?
        \_ Horizon Electronics in Union City
        \_ I've never had my N70 professionally cleaned.  Still works great
           after shooting 300 rolls or so since I bought it.  -- yuen
           \_ Does dust ever enter your camera?
              \_ Yes, it's usually along the edge of the back cover.  I just
                 use a rubber blower and a soft brush to clean the dust out.
                 Just be careful not to break the shutter curtain when you
                 squeeze the blower with the nozzle very close to it.  -- yuen

8/23    Old, but summarized:  Florida felon can't-vote list includes
        highly disproportionate number of black voters, but only 50 Hispanic
        names, in a state where 1 in 5 residents is Hispanic.  ("Hispanic
        names" is a superset of Cuban, which votes heavily GOP).  Total
        size of list is 50,000 names.
        http://billmon.org/archives/001601.html

8/23    Now Dole says Kerry should apologize for his Vietnam War testimony
        to the Senate in 1971, and he says Kerry got only superficial wounds.
        Bush will say Kerry isn't condemning http://MoveOn.org ads, so it's fine
        if the Swift Vets ads continue running.
        Blah blah blah, it will never end.
        \_ Somehow Bush seems to think that refighting the Vietnam War
           will help him win this election. I think he is wrong. What
           does the rest of the motd crowd think?
           \_ Trotting out Bob "the last good war" Dole to criticize Kerry's
              service appeals to his base.
           \_ you got it wrong, Kerry's platform is Vietnam
              \_ Bzzt. Kerry's platform is that America can do better than Bush.
                 \_ HOPE IS ON THE WAY!!!!1!!!!

8/23    Lame.
        \_ musepack.
        \_ LAME! LAME!
        \_ I THINK YOU'LL FIND IT IS YOU WHO ARE THE ONE WHO IS LAME.
                                             \_ ARE modifies ONE, so should
                                                be IS. -- mgn
                        DID I HEAR YOU SAY YOU ARE LAME? _/

8/23    In case you missed it, formerly neutral swift boat captain comes out
        for Kerry in the Silver Star citation:  http://csua.org/u/8q7
        (the Rassmann rescue is Bronze Star, below)

8/23    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21239-2004Aug21.html
        Interesting article that at tries to look at the facts in dispute in
        the swift boat issue.
        \_ From article:
           But yesterday, The Post independently contacted a participant who
           has not spoken out so far in favor of either camp who remembers
           coming under enemy fire. "There was a lot of firing going on, and
           it came from both sides of the river," said Wayne D. Langhofer,
           who manned a machine gun aboard PCF-43, the boat that was
           directly behind Kerry's. Langhofer said he distinctly remembered
           the "clack, clack, clack" of enemy AK-47s, as well as muzzle
           flashes from the riverbanks.
        \_ The real issue is why has the Bush administration so royally
           screwed up Iraq and why haven't they come up with an exit strategy?
           \_ I don't know, I'm too busy trying to figure out whether Kerry
              was a real war hero or not.
              \_ See, that's just it: which of these issues continues to get
                 American soldiers killed? Wake up, folks, we're being conned.
                 \_ Regardless of what the Kerry or Bush camps say about Iraq,
                    I think most Americans feel it in a reluctance to travel
                    abroad with their families.  There is distinct
                    anti-Americanism that is justified by:  We didn't do it
                    with a broad coalition or UN approval, we didn't find WMDs,
                    and the world is less safe because of U.S. unilateral
                    action.  Saddam is out, but everyone hates us and we
                    don't feel safer.
        \_ From the similar LA Times article a day earlier:
           Navy rules during the Vietnam War governing Purple Hearts did not
           take into account a wound's severity - and specified only that
           injuries had to be suffered "in action against an enemy."
           Self-inflicted wounds were awarded if incurred "in the heat of
           battle, and not involving gross negligence." Kerry's critics insist
           his wound would not have qualified, but former Navy officials who
           worked in the service's awards branch at the time said such awards
           were routine. [Firing on VC from boat; Swift Boat Vets say shrapnel
           was from his own grenade launcher, grenade exploded too close to
           boat; Kerry says doesn't know where it came from]

8/23    MMMM, tasty politics purge.  Is the self-important ass that does this
        the same person that changed the CSUA NYTimes password?
        \_ What a shame.  Some people just can't help pissing in public pools,
           can they?

8/23    Dear shac, do you like basketball and rap and hip-hop music? Do you
        like KFC? And your family? And do you have anything against abortion?
        How about affirmative action, what is your stance on that?
        kinda yes yes no yes none-ya none-ya -shac
        \_ kinda yes yes no yes none-ya none-ya -shac
        \_ ha ha you suck -brain
        \_ Troll points: 1.2 out of 10.  Thanks for playing, have a copy
           of our home game, come again.  -John
           \_ HEIL Cherman John!
                \_ Dear arbiters of MOTD lameness, is it acceptable or poor
                   form to make threats of severe bodily injury and generally
                   getting medieval on some scrawny shitwit's ass once found
                   out?  I eagerly await your judgment.  -John
                   \_ You should get SWISS on his buttocks.
                   \_ Just don't delete this thread out of order, or you'll
                      provoke ilyas into a frenzy.  -meyers
                      \_ You know, meyers, rather than trying to give me
                         a hard time, why not try to reason with people who
                         delete things prematurely?  I tried and it didn't
                         seem to work.  Maybe you ll do better. -- ilyas
                         \_ This assumes that reason has worked with you in the
                            past.
                            \_ Uh, zing?  One day you ll grow up and realize
                               reasonable people can disagree with you.
                                 -- ilyas
                                \_ ha ha you suck too   -brain
                                \_ I take it the irony is unintentional.
                                   \_ Hey, I know plenty of reasonable folks
                                      with different politics from mine.  Some
                                      even have soda accounts.  Amazing, isn't
                                      it?  I think the guy who said most folks
                                      use the motd to vent pretty much nailed
                                      it.  -- ilyas

8/23    Can we discuss Olympics instead of American politics?  American
        politics is so boring.
        \_ we japanese so superior tos us slavery breed hip hop track
           field star!  Go china
        \_ we koreans got cheated!  You americans and the judges robbed us
           again.
                \_ China beat korea PKR ping-pong!  Take that, jap stooges
           \_ This is just payback for Roy Jones Jr. in Seoul in '88
           \_ I think we should return to the original rules of the ancient
              Greek olympics, where the judges were allowed to enter the
              contests.
              \_ So can the wrestlers eye-gouge?
                 \_ Of course.  And I think the routine animal sacrifices should
                    make a comeback as well.
              \_ Will nudity be optional of mandatory?
                 \_ Mandatory of course.  We must be fair.  But I think we
                    should allow women to compete.
              \_ Man, guys with short pensises would certainly have the
                 advantage there.
                 \_ You see!  Further proof of superior japanese race!
                    \_ That and h@t 4s1aN Ch1x@r!!!1!1!1@!
        \_ Who's the name of the shooting guy who lost the gold medal because
           he fired his last shot at someone else's target by mistake?
           \_ lucky he wasn't fighting in Iraq.  Otherwise it's another
              casualty by friendly fire.

8/23    http://www.hussmanfunds.com/wmc/wmc040823.htm
        Google valued at $24.
        \_ Dow 36,000!  Dow 1,000!
           Get a realistic caption.  -tom
           \_ The caption is realistic. Hussman thinks it is worth $24
              according to his valuation strategy.

8/23    http://money.cnn.com/2004/08/23/news/election_models/index.htm?cnn=yes
        models predict the election result
        \_ "Despite an embarrassing failure in their forecasting four years
           ago ..."

8/23    Is soda running a web proxy?
        \_ Not to my knowledge, but if you need one (assuming you're talking
           about a cgi proxy) I recommend setting up nph-proxy.cgi.  It's
           free and easy and works a charm.  -John
           \_ If you want a real http(s)/ftp proxy I recommend squid:
              http://www.squid-cache.org
              It isn't too hard to get running, and for low traffic
              volume the default config provides reasonble performance.
                \_ Seconded.  But "real" http proxies don't work from behind
                   corporate firewalls, usually.  CGI proxies do.  -John
        \_ note that running an unauthenticated web proxy is a violation of
           campus policy.  (And is likely to get you in trouble).  -tom
           \_ is that worse than fingering soda a few times per second?
              \_ Only ONE MAN would DARE give me the raspberry!

8/23    Besieged Al-Sadr keeps grip on shrine
        "Iraqi government claims that police had arrested hundreds of the
        radical cleric's fighters and taken over his headquarters in Najaf
        could have come from Saddam's Comical Ali ..."
        http://observer.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,1288386,00.html
        \_ Hey!  Have some respect for other cultures.  They didn't really
           mean they had arrested hundreds of Al-Sadr's men and taken over
           his HQ's.
        \_ I predict that if the Sadr militia isn't exterminated, it was
           because of "politics".  U.S. military forces won every battle but
           lost the war because of "politics".  Dang, that's how we lost
           the Vietnam War!  Hmm, who to blame ... I blame the Iraqi people
           the Vietnam War!  Hmm, whom to blame ... I blame the Iraqi people
           who don't want to take firm control of their own country!  And if
           France/Germany/Russia had fessed up to their financial motives and
           had joined our coalition before the war, we would have had the
           international consensus to build a free Iraq!
           \_ Funny me..  I thought we were at war against Saddam.  Or was
              it Al Qaeda?  Or terrah?
           \_ Your logic is so tortured that I can only assume it was
              meant as satire.
              \_ ... and if Kerry becomes President, then we'll definitely
                 have someone to blame!!!!1!
                 If the economy slows down, it's because he withdrew the tax
                 cuts.  If the economy picks up, it's because the tax cuts
                 are finally taking effect!!1!!!
                 If there's a terror attack, it's because he's not protecting
                 the homeland, like Bush would.  If there isn't one, that's
                 because of the strong homeland security dept Bush set up!
                 I could be the next Karl Rove!!!!%1!!%$15
                 \_ I personally think that if we could convince some national
                    level whackjob to join the csua and post to the motd it
                    would rule.
                 \_ stop frothing.  it isn't becoming.
        \_ Dignity gentlemen.  Unless you want your grandkids speaking Arabic,
           Chinese, or Spanish.
           \_ you are saying that Chinese, Arabic or Spanish are somehow
              inferior?
           \_ I'd rather that my kids speak Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, _and_
              English.  Why do you want to limit my grandchildren?  Why do
              you hate children?
        \_ Of all the threads the censors choose to delete or save, why in the
           Hell did you leave this useless multi-trolled PoS?  Is there any
           reasaon at all for these useless bits to waste more precious
           bandwidth?  Seeing this crap stay but real political discussion
           and debate backed by URLs, etc, get purged instantly makes me
           think the censoring is not anti-politics, but anti-I-just-got-
           crushed-in-a-debate censorship.
           \_ An article that suggests the media is, once again, not reporting
              reality, versus an endless series of lies about what happened
              3 decades ago, and you call the latter "real political discussion".
              \_ We know the media reports what they want not what is.  The
                 rest of the posts that follow add nothing.  It's 2+ pages of
                 snarky I-feel-so-clever comments and uhm, yeah.
                 \_ Uh, but the URL was the _media_ reporting what really seems
                    to be going on - it was more the Iraqi interim government
                    that is doing the "sky green, sea pink" reporting.  I agree
                    with you that in general the coverage of the Sadr army
                    revolt has been abysmal, but the Observer tends to do a
                    pretty good job. --op [restored]
        \_ His entire force is reduced to holding 1 building and the court
           yard around it?  He's doing well.
           \_ You're being sarcastic, but it's exactly what he wants.  The best
              thing that could happen, as far as Al-Sadr is concerned, is for
              the US forces to destroy the shrine and kill him.  The
              destruction of the shrine will create tens of thousands of
              Shiite jihadis overnight, and Al-Sadr's death will elevate him
              from a mediocre cleric with a revered father to the status of
              a revered martyr.
              \_ It's too late for that. He's gotten a huge following just
                 for resisting the US and keeping them from the Shrine. The US
                 has been too obsessed by this guy. I'm waiting for a marine
                 to go nuts and blast the shrine with something big.
                 \_ "Something big" - obviously you have no military training